Project IAGO
by Nakraf
Summary: When a genetic experiment fails, it could spell the end of mankind!
1. Father's Uncle's Brother's Fourth Cousin

Remember me?  I wrote "Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow".  I guess you could call this a sequel, in that it refers to EGBT at several points.  Please review.  I only got six for the last one.  (Of course, as long as it's still on the site, you could very easily change that.J)  Bear in mind, however, that EGBT was humor, and could very easily be read as a new episode of the show.  This one, however, is much darker.  I'm not sure if the ending will be happy or sad.  Time only knows.  (Sorry 'bout that.  I just finished "Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time", and the song that plays in the credits will be stuck in my head forever.)

                        **CHAPTER ONE**

            Life was going nicely for crime-fighting cheerleader Kim Possible, and her best friend/sidekick, Ron Stoppable.  The super villains had been relatively quiet lately, so Kim and Ron could concentrate on things like homework.  Well, okay, maybe Kim was the only one who was focusing on homework.  

            Unfortunately, this was all about to change.  It began when Kim closed her locker door to find Steve Verruckt leaning against the lockers.  Steve was one of a lucky few students in school who were considered to be both intelligent and cool.  In Steve's case, this was due to the fact that he kept his intelligence to a minimum when he didn't need it.  Like last year, when he was partnered with Kim in biology.  They had been assigned to do a project on worms.  Kim had written a nice little report on earthworms; Steve had used his computer to make an animated diagram of the life cycle of a blood fluke, thereby landing both of them an A+ for the course.

            "Hey Kim.  Got a minute?"

            "Sure.  What's the sitch?"

            "I'm afraid I may have found a breaking point in your relaxation binge."

            "Oh, believe me.  After Barkin took over Latin class, a little action is just what I need."

            "Well, I recently had to attend a funeral for one of my relatives."

            "Oh.  I'm sorry."

            "Actually, I didn't really know him.  In fact, I didn't even know he existed.  I think he was my father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed."

            "Talk about an obscure relative."

            "Yeah.  But here's the weird part: when we got there, the body was gone!"

            "What?"

            "The coffin had been ripped in half, and my father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed was gone!"

            "Any ideas as to where it might have went?"

            "No.  And the guards are in no condition to talk about it.  Apparently, whoever stole the body hit them pretty hard to get to it."

            "All right, Steve.  We're on it."

            "Thanks."

            At the crime scene, Kim did a quick interview of the guards who had been watching the body at the time of the theft.  The results, owing to their traumatized condition, were less than satisfactory.

            "I…there were…two…"

            "Watch out!  They're evil!  Pure evil!"

            "I…remember…green…and…pain…"

            "Well," Ron said, "that was helpful."

            "I'm gonna see if there are any more clues."  Kim put on her spectrometer sunglasses and scanned the room.  As she scanned the door, she noticed something.  On her way in, she had seen that the door had been ripped from its hinges.  What she had missed were five small gashes in the door frame.  "What could've done that?"  She pulled out her Kimmunicator and pointed it at the door frame.  "Wade, I want a full analysis of this spot."

            Wade did a few abnormal things with his fingers on his computer keyboard, before finally finding something.  "Whoa!  These gashes test positive for sulfuric hydrochloride."

            "What?"

            "It's a kind of plasma, invented in the late 80's, designed to corrode and burn everything it touches."

            "All right.  Now, all we need is a list of anyone who has bought this stuff recently.'

            "Don't bother.  It's top secret formula is known only to the man who invented it.  And guess what his name is?"

            Kim thought for a while.  "I give up.  What?"

            "Oh, come on.  You _always come up with the answer right before I tell you."_

            "No, this time, I really am drawing a blank."

            "Fine, I'll tell you.  Ready for this?  It was invented by a Drew Lipsky."

            Kim nearly dropped the Kimmunicator.  "Drakken?  What could he possibly want with a dead body?"

**                *      *      ***

            "Okay, Dr. D?  I have to ask you: what could you possibly want with a dead body?"

            The blue-skinned scientist attached a long IV tube to the arm of the motionless man on the table.  "You'll see soon enough.  Let's just hope Kim Possible doesn't show up until after I'm finished."

            "There you go.  You just jinxed the entire plot."

            "No I didn't, Shego!"

            "Fine, whatever.  But I refuse to work with this smelly thing until you tell me why you had me steal it."

            "Okay, fine, you win.  I wanted him because…"

Because why?  Why does Drakken want the body of Steve Verruckt's father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed?  Review, and I'll post the next chapter, in which you'll find out.


	2. Drakkenstein

To DreamQueen110: That sounds painful.  I've actually had that happen before.  Don't worry.  You'll find out very soon why Drakken wants the body of Steve Verruckt's father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed.

                        **CHAPTER TWO**

Kim and Ron made their way through the rafters of Drakken's latest hideout.  For some strange reason, he had stationed himself inside an old theatre in Columbus, Ohio.  Maybe he liked that here was a high ceiling over the stage.  They weren't sure.  All they did know was that Drakken had taken out the seats in the audience and replaced them with his typical lab stuff.  Drakken was milling about the lab, humming to himself, busily attaching electrodes and IV tubes to what was very obviously a human cadaver.

            "Okay," Ron said, 'that is officially sick and wrong!"

            "Ron!" Kim hissed, but it was too late.  Ron had uttered these last three words a little too loudly, and the theatre was designed to make all sound carry very far.

            Drakken stood upright.  "I heard that!  I know you're here, Kim Possible!  Somewhere, out there…"

            Her cover blown, Kim now figured that there was no harm in dropping down and facing Drakken head-on…except for one small glitch.  This latest lair was in a theatre, so the ceiling was easily thirty-five feet high.  She could probably have survived a fall from that height, but she didn't want to take any chances.  So, the most logical option was to slide down the ladder that she had used to get up there in the first place.  She did so, and emerged from behind the heavy black curtain, to find Drakken standing over the body on the table.

            "Ah, there you are, Kim Possible.  I'm glad you could make it, because you a re about to see a feat that has never been attempted before!  I will infuse this man's body with the DNA of the most powerful creatures on Earth, thereby making him into my most powerful minion ever!"

            "Most powerful?  What about Shego?"

            "Shego is powerful, yes, but she seems to get really testy for some reason whenever I call her a minion."

            "Wait a minute," Ron said, coming out from behind the curtain.  "You're going to make him one of your minions?"

            "Yes."

            "But…he's dead!"

            "I know."

            "You've done some pretty bizarre things in the past, Drakken." Kim said.  "The brain switch thing, the army of retired people, the Killer Bebes.  But trying to reanimate the dead?  That's just not possible!"

            "Not possible?" Drakken scoffed.  "I'm an evil genius!  I can do anything!"  
            "Hey!  That's my line!  You can't use that!"

            "Besides, he's not technically dead."

            "What?"

            "That's right.  He's only mostly dead."

            "But…the coroner thoroughly examined him, and he was more than merely dead, he was really, most sincerely dead!"

            "Trust me.  I know dead when I see it, and this man is only mostly dead."

            "Yeah," said a familiar icy voice.  Kim whirled around to see Shego drop from the ceiling, hands ablaze.  "If he was all dead, all we could do is go through his pockets and look for loose change."

            As though on instinct, Kim and Shego immediately began their routine of vicious hand-to-hand combat.  Meanwhile, Ron went over to Drakken and tried to stop him from initiating his plan.

            "You're too late, buffoon!" Drakken shouted, as he pulled a lever on the main computer console.  The machine began to hum.  The electrodes began to spark, and juices began to flow through the tubes.

            "What am I gonna do?  What am I gonna do!?" Ron shouted.  Then, "Oh!"  With that, he pulled the lever back the other way.  The machine shut off.

            "What?" Drakken sputtered.  "Tha…you can't do that!"  He pulled the lever back towards him, causing the machine to come back to life.

            "I think I can." Ron said, shutting it off again.

            "No you can't!" Drakken turned it back on.

            "Yes I can!" Ron turned it off.

            "Can not!"

            "Can too!"

"Can not!"

            "Can too!"

            "Can not!"

            "Can too!"

            This continued for a while, growing progressively faster, until finally, the lever broke off in Drakken's hand, so that the machine was permanently switched on.

            "Ha!  I win!"

            The body on the table began to convulse.  His features distorted in very freaky ways.  His mouth and nose bulged forward, and his ears became large and conical.  His legs grew longer, and six-inch claws sprouted from his fingers.  His eyes snapped open.  They were no longer human eyes, but instead looked more like the eyes of a bird of prey.  Kim and Shego stopped in mid-fight as this new monstrosity sat up and got off of the table.

            "Yes!" Drakken shouted.  "He…is…ALIVE!!!  Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!"

            Kim found herself unable to move.  Fortunately, Shego was experiencing a similar feeling.  Both were thinking the same thing: _No way.  Drakken actually did it!  He brought the dead to life!_

Creepy enough for you?  Just wait.  It gets worse.


	3. Things get even worse

To Parareru: Hmm.  I guess that would make her Shegor.  Although, I wouldn't let her catch you talking like that.  (What?  Shego?  What are you doing here?  Why…no…I never said…hey…hey, put that down!  You don't know where it's been…no!  Get away from me!  AAAAAAAUGHHH!!!)

To Mira425: Thanks.  Uh…thanks!

I just realized something.  In the last two chapters, I forgot to acknowledge the fact that Disney owns all of these characters, except for Steve Verruckt and his father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed.

                        **CHAPTER THREE**

            "Behold, the greatest achievement of my life!  The ultimate superman!  I call him Project IAGO!"

            Ron raised an eyebrow.  "Iago?  You named him after a parrot?"

            Kim elbowed Ron in the side, as Project IAGO shot him a murderous look.

            "No, you buffoon." Drakken said darkly.  "IAGO is an acronym.  It stands for Inter-Animal Genetic Operation.  And I was thinking of the Shakespearian Iago."  Drakken gestured to a chart on the wall, which had a number of different animals on it.  "Project IAGO has been infused with the DNA of all of these animals!  He can bite through three inches of stainless steel!  He can run 50 miles and hour, jump 30 feet in a single bound, and lift ten times his own weight!  He also has senses of hearing, sight, and smell that are unrivaled by any other primate!  And his sole purpose is to do as I say!"

            At this, Project IAGO, who had been looking rather proud of himself while Drakken was bragging about his abilities, suddenly rounded on his creator.  When he spoke, he sounded as though he had something in his mouth that he couldn't swallow.  "I beg your pardon?  My sole purpose is _what?"_

            "Uh…that is…"

            "I follow nobody's orders but my own.  You cannot tame Project IAGO!"

            "Fine then.  What do _you want to do?"_

            "I'm hungry.  And since you happen to be right here, I might as well start with you."

            "Me?  But, why would you want to eat _me?  I praised you!  I told them of your awesome power!  However, the redhead…" he pointed over IAGO's shoulder at Kim, "she equated you to a wisecracking parrot from an animated movie!"_

            "Hmm.  You're right.  Besides, at her age, her meat should be much tenderer than yours.  But don't think I've forgotten about you."  With that, Project IAGO turned around and swung his massive claws in a wide arc.  Kim did a backflip onto the stage, which was followed by Project IAGO launching himself across the room at her.  Kim managed to sidestep him, but he still managed to land nimbly on his feet.  Kim vaulted over his head.  As she flew, she felt something wet and sticky lash out and hit her left ankle.  Looking down, she saw that it was Project IAGO's eleven-foot tongue!  With a rapid movement, he jerked his tongue back into his mouth, pulling Kim along with it.  As she drew closer, he unhinged his jaw and opened his mouth, revealing five rows of serrated teeth.  Kim couldn't help but notice that the two teeth in the front seemed to be much longer than the rest.  However, she only got a brief glimpse of the teeth before Project IAGO's massively powerful jaws clamped down on her leg.  Immediately, she felt her leg bone splinter.  As Project IAGO worked her leg into a better position, his long front teeth came out of her leg.  Kim saw that something was dripping from them, and it wasn't blood.  When her nose and fingertips began to tingle, her worst fears were confirmed.

            They weren't teeth.  They were _fangs!_

            Drakken and Shego were laughing their heads off.  In fact, Drakken was so busy enjoying himself, he didn't seem to notice when Ron tapped him of the shoulder.

            "Hey, uh, Dr. D?  What's that thing?"

            "What thing?"

            "That gun-like thing on that supercomputer."

            "Oh, that.  That's an emergency tranquilizer I brought along in case Project IAGO got out of control."

            Ron exchanged a look with Rufus.  Then, he picked the gun up, aimed carefully, and fired a dart straight into Project IAGO's left shoulder blade.  Project IAGO spun around, eyes burning with hatred, but not before Ron managed to thrust the gun into Drakken's hands.  So, when IAGO turned around, he saw Ron, with his hands behind his back, whistling nonchalantly, and Drakken holding a tranquilizer.

            IAGO bent his knees and jumped at Drakken, only to receive a kick to the side of the head from Shego.  IAGO then turned his attention to her.  At first, Shego was terrified.  But as the fight progressed, IAGO began to move more slowly and predictably as the tranquilizer began to take effect.  Meanwhile, Drakken went into the audience and knelt next to Kim, and evil grin on his face.

            "You're dying, Kim Possible.  There's nothing you can do about it.  Project IAGO's fangs contain the venom of three species of snake.  He has the neurotoxin of a black mamba, to paralyze you.  He has the hemotoxin of a Russell's viper, to thin your blood and open old wounds.  And, he has the myotoxin of a rattlesnake, to destroy the very living flesh at the site of the wound!"

            Kim, through her tunnel vision, managed to lift her head enough to see that her left leg had turned black, and was starting to decay.  At that moment, the muscles controlling her eyelids stopped working, forcing her to keep them closed.  She was aware of Drakken laughing maniacally, before she lapsed into unconsciousness.

Sorry about the short chapter.  Will Kim survive?  Has Drakken finally won?  Or will something you never suspected happen?  I don't know!  I'm making this up as I go along!  Review!


	4. Who's gonna save the world?

Okay, people.  I gots a bone to pick with you.  I just spent a week in Puerto Rico.  That's right.  I spent a week in January in the Caribbean.  With nine girls.  Yes, it was Hell on Earth.  Wouldn't you think so too?

            But I digress.  After a week of being away from my computer, I checked my e-mail to find a grand total of _one new review!  Where is everyone!?  In fact, I'm tempted to kill Kim off, and then have Project IAGO eat Ron, Rufus, Wade, Drakken, Shego, and Steve Verruckt, just for that!_

            Okay, now that I got that out of my system, it's time to answer my fan mail!

            _And now it's time for Nakraf's e-mail, the part of the story where Nakraf comes out and checks his e-mail_

            To Parareru: Actually, I was tempted to use a cone snail.  But Shego told Drakken that using that particular animal would require Project IAGO to have an extra appendage that would've looked very weird.

            To phoenixgirl1992: Wow.  You're bloodthirsty.  Would you like to join me when I conquer the world?

            Enough chatting.  Let's get down to business!

            Oh, and yeah, I don't own nobody.  So don't ask.

                                    **CHAPTER FOUR**

Kim slowly opened her eyes, just a crack.  Immediately, she was hit with a blinding white light, and had to shut them again.  She was hearing voices again.  They were far away, and echoing.

            "She just tried to open her eyes!  That's a good sign!"

            "Is she going to be all right?"

            "It's hard to say, but she is recovering."

            These two voices both sounded very familiar to Kim.  The first one was a woman, the second was a man…no, definitely a boy.  If only she could figure out what was happening.

            "So, Mr. Stoppable.  Explain to me again how she was bitten by three venomous snakes and a great white shark in the same place at the same time?"

            Stoppable…that word meant something to her…if only her head would stop hurting.

            "Look, I already told you, Drakken infused Steve's father's uncle's brother's fourth cousin, once removed, with the DNA of all sorts of animals.  Those animals happened to include three venomous snakes and a great white shark."

            "Dr. Director!  We're losing her again!"

            "Give her some adrenaline!"

            "We already gave her thirty milligrams of the stuff!  That was a very powerful neurotoxin."

            "I can't watch!"

            Confusing?  I understand.  So, let's focus on Ron now.

            Ron ran from the GJ ICU, distraught.  His best friend had almost been killed, and it was likely that she wouldn't make it.  Desperate for comfort, he sat down next to Steve Verruckt, who was also there.

            "So?" Steve asked.  "How is she doing?"

            "Bad.  The venom was so powerful that the adrenaline isn't having much effect."

            "This is all my fault.  I shouldn't have asked her to take that case."

            "Steve, you can't beat yourself up about this.  Nobody could've prepared for this.  It even took Drakken by surprise!"

            Steve buried his face in his hands and didn't say anything.  That was fortunate, because he wouldn't have had the chance.  At that moment, a loud alarm began to blare throughout the Global Justice headquarters.

            "Code red!  Code red!  All GJ staff report to your posts!  Level four is now on lockdown!  This is not a drill!  I repeat, this is not a drill!"

            Ron looked at Steve.  "Level Four?  That's the level we're on!  But…that would mean that…"

            Ron didn't have a chance to finish his thought, as a stampede of terrified GJ scientists ran screaming down the hallway, shouting things like "He escaped!" or "Run for your lives!  He's loose!"  Close behind them, crawling at a disturbingly high speed along the ceiling, was Project IAGO!

            Dr. Director darted from the ICU and grabbed Steve and Ron by the collars.  "You two.  This way!"  She pulled them into a room.  The door closed, just as IAGO's massive claws punctured the metal.

            "What if he gets through?"

            "Don't worry.  While he was out, we did a thorough analysis of his vital statistics.  With his strength, it would take him approximately three years to get through this door."

            Steve looked at Dr. Director.  "What exactly _is he?"_

            Dr. Director brought up an image of Project IAGO on her handheld computer.  "This is Project IAGO, created by Dr. Drew 'Drakken' Lipsky, by infusing the DNA of sixteen species with a man who was almost, but not completely, dead.  I have a complete list of the species involved.  Let's see…_Carcharadon__ carcharias…Chameleo jacksonii…Crotalus atrox…"_

            "Whoa!" Ron shouted.  "Back up.  I don't recognize any of those animals."

            "Those are their Latin names.  I'll translate for you.  _Carcharadon__ carcharias is a great white shark, _Chameleo___ jacksonii is a Jackson's chameleon, and _Crotalus___ atrox is a western diamondback rattlesnake.  Please continue, Dr. Director."_

            "_Daboia__ russelii…"_

            "Russell's viper."

            "_Dendroaspis__ polyepsis…"_

            "Black mamba."

            "_Desmodus__ rotundus…"_

            "Vampire bat."

            "_Dendrobates__ azureus…"_

            "Blue poison dart frog."

            "_Felis__ concolor…"_

            "Mountain lion."

            "_Gekko__ gecko…"_

            "Tokay gecko."

            "_Gorilla beringei…"_

            "Mountain gorilla."

            "_Haliaeetus__ leucocephalus…"_

            "Bald eagle."

            "_Macropus__ rufus…"_

            "Red kangaroo."

            "_Octopus vulgaris…"_

            "Common octopus."

            "_Struthio__ camelus…"_

            "Ostrich."

            "_Ursus__ arctos horribilis…"_

            "Grizzly bear."

            "…and _Varanus__ komodoensis."_

            Steve blanched at the last name.

            "What?" Ron asked.  "What's a…_Varanus__…komodoensis?"_

            Steve looked gravely at Ron.  "Are you familiar with the Komodo dragon?  Its bite is full of lethal bacteria that give its victims blood poisoning.  There is no cure."

            "That is true," Dr. Director said, "but the bacteria grow inside the dragon's mouth when it eats rotting flesh.  Kim was the first person that Project IAGO bit, so his bite, although venomous, was clean."

            "You're right.  But what really worries me is the dragon's appetite.  It can eat 80% of its own weight in a single sitting."

            "What does that mean?"

            "It means that Project IAGO could eat one of _us_ in the time it would take me to eat a cheeseburger."

            Rufus shrunk back into Ron's pocket, shaking and muttering in fear.

            Dr. Director bowed her head.  "Not only can he, but it's also very likely that he will.  We also did an analysis of his brain waves before the tranquilizer wore off.  He is driven by a single motive; an insatiable thirst for human blood.  He must be stopped.  Unfortunately, Kim Possible is in no condition to be fighting him, and probably won't be for some time.  So, it looks as though it's up to you, Ron Stoppable, to save the world."

            Ron did a double take.  "Me?  By myself?  But…I can't save the world by myself!"

            "What about Gill?  You took care of him pretty well."

            "Camp Wannaweep was familiar territory."

            "What about White Stripe?"

            "That guy was _so_ not a villain!  He just thought he was."

            "You took on Drakken last Christmas."

            "Drakken's an idiot, and Shego was on vacation.  Plus, he was in a holiday mood.  No, I can't do this alone."

            "Then let me assist."

            Dr. Director and Ron both stared at Steve.  "But…you have no training!  You can't take on something like Project IAGO without being trained!"

            Just then, there was a loud bang, as something hit the doors, causing them to bend inward.

            "Oh, great." Dr. Director moaned.  "Looks like he got hold of one of our super lasers."  She turned to Steve.  "How's some on-the-job training sound to you?"

            Steve gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.  "Doesn't look like I have much choice.  Let's do this!"

So now, it's Ron and Steve.  Will they be successful?  Kim couldn't even take on Project IAGO!  Can Steve succeed where she failed?  Or will Project IAGO eat the entire world?  Let me know what you think should happen.


	5. The chapter that contains a lot of butt ...

To KPKrazy400: Down girl! (You are a girl, right?  I'm basing this entirely off your AOL screen name) You'll get more.  In fact, here's more right now!

To phoenixgirl1992: Yeah…uh…no.  Maybe I'll let you be a governor.  I'll let you have someplace like New Zealand…or the Philippines…or Ohio or something.  Yes, you can build your winter palace in Ohio, and I'll build mine in Puerto Rico.

To Spice of Life: Okay.  That makes much more sense now.

I don't know if you'll enjoy this chapter or not.  It certainly gave me an adrenaline rush when I was writing it.

Yeah.  I own everyone and everything in the entire world…except Disney, those little upstarts.

                                    **Chapter Five**

             "All right," Steve said, as the door buckled even further.  "For a quick review: don't bite him, don't go near his mouth, and don't say anything about his name."

            "Gotcha!" Ron said.  

            The door gave a final shudder, before falling inside the room.  Project IAGO stood in the smoldering ruins of the doorway, holding what was apparently a sword with a red laser in place of a blade.

            "What is that?"

            "That is an experimental laser sword we've been working on.  I just happen to have three more."  Dr. Director tossed a green sword to Steve, a blue one to Ron, and kept a radiant purple one for herself.

            "Cool," Steve said, looking at the sword in his hand.  "I feel like I should have pointy ears or something."

            With a very bear-like roar, Project IAGO launched himself into the room, and the battle was on.

            The ambient music changes to Prince of Persia fight music.

            "Hmm," IAGO mused, as he looked at the sword in his hand.  "I didn't notice this button before.  I wonder what it does?"  He pushed the button, and a second laser came out of the other end of the handle.  "Nice."

            With his newfound second blade, IAGO fought like a madman.  In spite of being attacked from three sides at once, he was able to evade or block every single blow.

            "Whoa!" Ron said.  "How did he learn how to fight like that?"

            "Well," Steve said, between breaths, "from what I understand, he was one of the choreographers in _The Mask of Zorro_."

            "You're tiring.  I can see it.  Too bad you don't have ostrich DNA, like me.  Those guys can keep it up for a long time."

            Dr. Director thrust her sword at IAGO's midsection.  IAGO pushed the blade of her sword down with his own.  "All too easy."  Then, he raised his sword and swung it in a wide arc towards Dr. Director's head.  Naturally, Dr. Director brought her sword up to her head to block the blow.  But at the last possible second, Project IAGO shifted his weight and, using the other blade, sliced Steve's right hand clean off his wrist.  The laser cauterized the wound, so there was no blood, but Steve was still without a right hand, which meant he could no longer hold his sword.  And, he had lost his right hand, which in of itself is a bad thing.

            With a lightning fast flick of his tongue, Project IAGO snatched Steve's hand from the floor and swallowed it whole.

            Steve's arms dropped limply to his sides.  "He…ate…my hand.  He cut off…my hand…and…ate it…in front of me!"  His eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out from the shock.

            "There's no going back now." Dr. Director said to Ron.  "We've passed the point of no return.  Now that he's tasted human flesh for real, there's no hope of reforming him.  The only way to stop him now is to kill him."

            "Kill me?  I don't think so.  You cannot kill Project IAGOOOOOWWWW!!!"

            Somehow, in spite of all his superhuman senses, Project IAGO had failed to notice Rufus standing right behind him.  The naked mole rat had taken Kim's laser knife from her pocket prior to her arrival at GJ, and had now stabbed it straight into IAGO's Achilles tendon.

            IAGO turned his head, pulled his foot back, and sent Rufus flying across the room.  His eagle eyes gave him the perfect view of the rodent land in a crumpled heap on the floor.  He let out a quiet, malicious laugh.  A laugh that lasted just a split second too long.

            The pain worsened for IAGO when he felt his right arm become much lighter.  He opened his eyes to see his sword clatter to the ground, his hand still clutching it weakly.  He turned to see Ron, holding his own sword in a fighting stance, and breathing very heavily.

            "That's for what you did to Steve."

            Numbed by the pain, IAGO's catlike reflexes failed to kick in as his other hand was severed by Ron's sword.  "That's for what you did to Rufus."

            Ron picked up Steve's sword and pointed them both at the monstrosity before him.  "And this is for Kim!!!"  With that, Ron thrust both swords into IAGO's ribcage.  Project IAGO let out a very loud yowl that was clearly derived from the mountain lion in him, and fell to the ground, dead.

            Dr. Director just stared.  "Ron Stoppable.  You…you were…you were…_vicious!  What happened?"_

            "He cut off Steve's hand, kicked Rufus, and nearly killed Kim!  All that added up to one adrenaline-induced rush of blind fury, I guess."

            "That was very insightful of you.  I'm surprised."

            "Don't worry.  I won't let it go to my head."

            Dr. Director picked up Steve's unconscious body.  Ron scooped up Rufus.  "Come on." Dr. Director said.  "Let's get these two fixed up."

Whew!  But it's not over yet.  There are still a few loose ends left to tie up.


	6. The World is Normal Again

Sorry I haven't updated in a while.  I've been busy with my Morrowind story, "The Twin Nerevarines".  You should check it out, if you're into that kind of thing.

Gijinka Renamon, this chapter was written for you.

Nope.  Don't own anybody.

                                    **Chapter Six**

            Dr. Drakken stared meticulously at the computer screen in his new hideout.  "Hmm.  This is weird."

            "What?" Shego saked, without even looking up from the newspaper.

            "The microchip that I implanted in Project IAGO has been found, and it's showing all his vital signs at zero."

            "Really?" Shego said, filling in one of the answers in the Jumble.  "That's fascinating.  I'll let you know when I care."

            Shego's concentration was cut short by a large explosion, which blew a large hole in the side of the hideout.  When the smoke cleared, the figure of Ron Stoppable was clearly visible in the hole, a bandaged Rufus on his shoulder, surrounded by at least thirty of Global Justice's top agents.

            "It's you!" Drakken shouted, pointing at Ron.  "It's Don…something, isn't it?"

            "It's Ron," Ron said darkly.  "Ron Stoppable.  And I'm here regarding what that monstrosity of yours did to Kim."

            "Oh no!" Shego cried in mock concern.  "Little Kimmie isn't dead, is she?"

            "Well…no, actually, she isn't.  But she won't be able to walk for several months!"

            Drakken raised an eyebrow.  "So, you brought thirty armed guards here because we _crippled_ her?"

            "Your abomination nearly killed her!"

            "So?  I've nearly killed her at least a hundred times, and I'm always the one plotting revenge."

            "You've never gotten away with it any of those times.  I just wanted to make sure you didn't break your trend.  IAGO nearly killed Kim, made me think he had killed Rufus, and cut off Steve's hand and ate it in front of him."

            Shego gasped.  "And I missed it?"  This time, there was no sarcasm in her voice whatsoever.

            Drakken's eyebrow never changed position.  "Steve?  Who's Steve?"

            At that moment, Drakken felt something close around the back of his neck.  Steve grabbed him with his new robotic hand.

            "I'm Steve.  I'm Project IAGO's fourth-cousin-once-removed's brother's nephew's son.  I figured, since you were responsible for my new robot hand, I should probably _thank_ you."  When he said the word "thank", he tightened his grip.  Drakken gritted his teeth, and his arms went rigid.

            "Shego!" he managed to squeak.

            "What?  You're expecting me to fight them off and save your butt?"

            "Yes!"

            "Oh, all right, fine," she said, setting her hands alight.  "Who wants a piece of this?"

            "There are no words for how wrong that just sounded." Steve said.

            Shego turned slowly to Steve.  "Just for that, you're going first!"

            Shego slashed at Steve with her glowing claws, while Steve jumped backwards to avoid her, using Drakken as a shield.  Finally, Shego saw an opening and took out Steve's legs with a sweeping kick.  Steve went down, hard, and Drakken landed right on top of him.

            "Okay," Drakken said, "this is uncomfortable."

            "Says the guy who _doesn't _have a fully-grown man laying on top of him!" Steve grunted.

            Shego held her claw up to Steve's throat.  She didn't feel like making a taunt: it took too much time, and she didn't have a pre-prepared taunt ready anyway.  But at that moment, one of the GJ agents placed a small device that looked like a cross between a TV remote and a miniature fighter plane to the back of Shego's head and pulled the trigger.

            "Oh…" Shego managed to gasp, before swaying on the spot for a few seconds, and then passing out.

            With Shego disabled, the GJ crew had no trouble rounding up Drakken and escorting the two to prison.  Steve exchanged a hi-five with Ron and Rufus before following them out through the hole through which they entered.

            ***          *          ***

            The next day, Steve wandered into an old, derelict shed.  Kim had told him to meet her there, but he wasn't sure why.  Upon entering the shed, he saw a single light shining down on the Kimmunicator, propped against a stack of books.  On a whim, Steve tentatively pressed a button on the mini-computer.

            Kim's logo vanished, and was replaced by Wade, typing furiously at his keyboard.  After a few seconds, he noticed Steve.

            "Oh good," he said.  "You're here."

            "Yeah," Steve said, unsure of what was going on "I'm here.  But…_why_ am I here?"

            Steve's questions were answered as the lights snapped on, revealing Kim and Ron standing in the corners.

            "What's going on!?" Steve demanded.

            Kim hobbled over to him (she was still using crutches, and had to keep all weight off of her left leg for quite some time).  "Congratulations.  You're being initiated."

            Steve raised an eyebrow.  "Initiated into what?"

            "The team, my man!" Ron said.  "I told KP how you helped us take on Drakken and IAGO, and we decided to make you an official member of the team!"

            And so, Steve was officially sworn in before almost the entire Global Justice team, as well as quite a few ambassadors.  In exchange for always serving his planet and his species, he was granted diplomatic immunity against missing school, as long as it was for a save-the-world reason, and VIP access to almost all of the most restricted zones in the world, except of course for Area 51 (which, as Ron was keen to point out, made "absolutely no sense whatsoever, seeing as everybody already knows what's there!")  

Afterwards, there was a party.  Large amounts of cake were eaten.  The guys took turns seeing who did the best Drakken impersonation (surprisingly enough, Rufus won).  There was dancing (or, in Kim's case, rhythmically moving her head to the beat).  Finally, Kim managed to catch Steve, alone.

            "So, I never asked you before…why did you do it?"

            "Why did I choose to do what?"

            "Ron told me that you volunteered to fight Project IAGO.  Why?"

            "Well," Steve said, turning slightly pink, "Ron was going on about how he'd never really saved the world by himself, and I figured somebody had to do it, and no one else was there, so…"

            His thought was cut short as Kim kissed him quickly on the cheek, and then hobbled off to rejoin the party.  Steve simply stood there for a while, not moving, not speaking, his fingers hovering over the place where she had kissed him.

Yes, I know, kind of a sappy ending for such a creepy, suspenseful story.  But I didn't have any other ideas.  For more by me, check out "The Twin Nerevarines" in the Morrowind section (Morrowind is a game, for those of you who don't know).  I would particularly recommend reading chapter twelve (Poker Night), but you should read the other chapters first, to get a basic idea of what's going on.

            Until some other time, this is Nakraf, saying "Good night, Milky Way Galaxy!"


End file.
